A naked man wearing a gorilla mask assaulted a woman jogging in a popular Nanaimo park on the weekend.
The incident happened Saturday shortly before 6 p.m. A woman was running on the trails around Westwood Lake Park. When she was near the one-kilometre mark of the six-kilometre trail, a naked man in a gorilla mask grabbed her around her leg and rubbed himself against her.
The victim kicked the assailant and fled, but he caught up with her again about one kilometre along the trail, this time wearing shiny black track pants.
The woman screamed and ran until she came upon other joggers who escorted her off the trail. Once off the trail, she called police who responded with a dog handler and several members who searched the park, but failed to track down the suspect.
Police said the man was seen earlier that day masturbating in the bushes near the trails.
The suspect is described as 5'10" tall, 170 pounds, skinny, Caucasian with dark hair.
People are asked to immediately call police if they witness indecent acts.
Joggers are cautioned to be alert at all time and if wearing earbuds to make sure the volume is kept low enough to be able to hear other people approaching. It is also advisable to run with a partner and carry a cell phone, plus a whistle or other device that can attract attention in an emergency.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.